Kleinhans Fellowship for Community Forestry Research

About Scholarship

The Rainforest Alliance has a long history of working with forest communities that have established their own locally managed enterprises, providing them with training and technical assistance on sustainable forestry practices, value-added processing, business administration, market access and more. Recognizing that sound scientific inquiry can help to guide technical assistance for local development, the Kleinhans Fellowship supports research that seeks solutions to the challenges faced by the community forestry model. The fellowship provides funds for research that is oriented toward solving real-world problems as defined by CFEs. Please note that the fellowship will not subsidize academic tuition or fees, nor will it cover the cost of purchasing transport vehicles or equipment that is unnecessary or unreasonable. The Kleinhans Fellowship provides a two-year stipend per year to support research that addresses one of the following topics: Markets for lesser-known species and non-timber forest products (NTFPs); Biodiversity management practices; Social organization and governance; and/or Multi-community enterprises. Applicants must be working toward a graduate degree in forestry, ecology, botany, environmental science or an appropriate related field. Doctoral candidates or post-doctoral researchers are preferred, although applicants may substitute relevant experience for higher-level degrees. Researchers of any nationality or residence are eligible for the Kleinhans Fellowship; however, the research itself must be conducted in Latin America. Applicants must submit a research proposal that should include an abstract, a review of the relevant literature, detailed methodology and a discussion of the project's practical applications. They must also submit two letters of recommendation and a list of past, current and potential funding sources for both the applicant and the project. Applications can be submitted in English, Spanish or Portuguese. Applications may be submitted through email or mail. Please visit the fellowship's website for more information.

Offered by: Rainforest Alliance/Kleinhans Fellowship for Research